Top 90 Ranked

Best 2006 Movies of All Time

Modern Classics and Award Winning Cinema Masterpieces

Explore the best cinema from a landmark year. From gritty crime thrillers to fantasy epics, discover the top rated films that defined the silver screen.

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About Movies in 2006

Looking back from the vantage point of nearly two decades, 2006 stands out as a year when the tectonic plates of the film industry began to shift. It was a curious, transitional moment. The massive franchises that define our current era were still in their relative infancy or finding new footing, while the mid budget adult drama was enjoying a final, glorious sunset. If you walked into a multiplex that year, you were just as likely to see a gritty reimagining of a legend as you were a surrealist masterpiece or a low key indie darling that captured the national conversation.

The most immediate legacy of 2006 is the way it redefined the blockbuster. This was the year Martin Scorsese finally secured his long overdue Oscar with The Departed. It was a rare feat, a foul mouthed, violent crime epic that functioned both as a massive commercial hit and a critical juggernaut. It proved that audiences still had an enormous appetite for star driven, intelligent adult thrillers. Simultaneously, the James Bond franchise underwent a radical heart transplant with Casino Royale. By casting Daniel Craig and stripping away the invisible cars and gadgetry of the past, the series embraced a bruised, visceral realism that would influence action cinema for the next decade.

While the big studios were refining their formulas, the international scene was delivering some of the most imaginative work in the history of the medium. 2006 was arguably the year of the Three Amigos, the trio of Mexican directors who would go on to dominate the Academy Awards for years to come. Guillermo del Toro released Pans Labyrinth, a dark fairy tale that seamlessly blended the horrors of the Spanish Civil War with breathtaking practical effects. Alfonso Cuaron gave us Children of Men, a dystopian vision filmed with such immersive, long take technical prowess that it remains the gold standard for science fiction world building. Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu rounded out this global wave with Babel, a sprawling narrative that connected disparate lives across continents.

The year also signaled the enduring power of the underdog. Little Miss Sunshine became a genuine cultural phenomenon, proving that a dysfunctional family in a yellow van could outshine CGI spectacles if the heart was in the right place. On the opposite end of the tonal spectrum, Sacha Baron Cohen changed comedy forever with Borat. It was a dangerous, boundary pushing experiment that captured a specific kind of American anxiety and remains one of the most quotable films ever made.

Film fans remember 2006 because it felt like a year where every genre was firing on all cylinders. From the prestige period drama of The Queen to the high concept mystery of The Prestige, there was a sense of variety and craft that felt effortless. It was a year that respected the audience's intelligence while never forgetting to entertain them. Whether you wanted to witness the silent heartbreak of Panahi’s Offside or the kinetic energy of George Miller’s Happy Feet, 2006 offered a seat at the table for everyone. It was the last great year before the shared universe model took over, a time when a standalone story still felt like the most important thing in the world.

The Complete Rankings

Based on the top picks in drafts on SnakeDrafts

See Top Ten
90
2006 in The Road to Guantanamo (2006)
The Road to Guantanamo
2006

Part drama, part documentary, The Road to Guantánamo focuses on the Tipton Three, a trio of British Muslims who were held in Guantanamo Bay for two years until they were released without charge.

Drama
1h 35m
Mat Whitecross
Riz Ahmed, Farhad Harun, Waqar Siddiqui, Afran Usman
89
2006 in The Shaggy Dog (2006)
The Shaggy Dog
2006

The tale of a workaholic dad-turned-dog who finds that being man's best friend shows him the most important job - being a great dad.

Comedy
Family
1h 38m
Brian Robbins
Tim Allen, Kristin Davis, Zena Grey, Spencer Breslin
88
2006 in Basic Instinct 2 (2006)
Basic Instinct 2
2006

Novelist Catherine Tramell is once again in trouble with the law, and Scotland Yard appoints psychiatrist Dr. Michael Glass to evaluate her. Though, like Detective Nick Curran before him, Glass is entranced by Tramell and lured into a seductive game.

Crime
Mystery
1h 54m
Michael Caton-Jones

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87
2006 in Factory Girl (2006)
Factory Girl
2006

In the mid-1960s, wealthy debutant Edie Sedgwick meets artist Andy Warhol. She joins Warhol's famous Factory and becomes his muse. Although she seems to have it all, Edie cannot have the love she craves from Andy, and she has an affair with a charismatic musician, who pushes her to seek independence from the artist and the milieu.

Drama
History
1h 30m
George Hickenlooper
86
2006 in Flicka (2006)
Flicka
2006

Katy McLaughlin desires to work on her family's mountainside horse ranch, although her father insists she finish boarding school. Katy finds a mustang in the hills near her ranch. The headstrong 16 year old then sets her mind to tame a mustang and prove to her father she can run the ranch. But when tragedy happens, it will take all the love and strength the family can muster to restore hope.

Family
Drama
1h 35m
Michael Mayer
Alison Lohman, Tim McGraw, Maria Bello, Ryan Kwanten
85
2006 in Requiem (2006)
Requiem
2006

Michaela, an epileptic, enrolls in college to study education. She goes off her medication and soon begins hearing voices and seeing apparitions that tell her to avoid religious objects, although she is devoutly Roman Catholic. One priest scoffs at the idea that Michaela could be possessed by demons, but a younger pastor arranges an exorcism for the young woman.

Drama
1h 32m
Hans-Christian Schmid
Sandra Hüller, Burghart Klaußner, Imogen Kogge, Anna Blomeier
84
2006 in Final Destination 3 (2006)
Final Destination 3
2006

High school senior Wendy's premonition of a deadly rollercoaster ride saves her life and a lucky few, but not from death itself — which seeks out those who escaped their fate.

Horror
Mystery
1h 32m
James Wong
Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Ryan Merriman, Kris Lemche, Alexz Johnson
83
2006 in Arthur and the Invisibles (2006)
Arthur and the Invisibles
2006

Arthur is a spirited ten-year old whose parents are away looking for work, whose eccentric grandfather has been missing for several years, and who lives with his grandmother in a country house that, in two days, will be repossessed, torn down, and turned into a block of flats unless Arthur's grandfather returns to sign some papers and pay off the family debt. Arthur discovers that the key to success lies in his own descent into the land of the Minimoys, creatures no larger than a tooth, whom his grandfather helped relocate to their garden. Somewhere among them is hidden a pile of rubies, too. Can Arthur be of stout heart and save the day? Romance beckons as well, and a villain lurks.

Adventure
Fantasy
1h 34m
Luc Besson
Freddie Highmore, Mia Farrow, Adam LeFevre, Doug Rand
82
2006 in The Black Dahlia (2006)
The Black Dahlia
2006

In 1940s Los Angeles, two former boxers-turned-cops must grapple with corruption, narcissism, stag films and family madness as they pursue the killer of an aspiring young actress.

81
2006 in Silent Hill (2006)
Silent Hill
2006

Rose, a desperate mother, takes her adopted daughter, Sharon, to the town of Silent Hill in an attempt to cure her of her ailment. After a violent car crash, Sharon disappears, and Rose embarks on a horrific journey to get her back and begins to uncover the truth behind the apocalyptic disaster that burned the town 30 years earlier.

Horror
Mystery
2h 5m
Christophe Gans
Radha Mitchell, Sean Bean, Jodelle Ferland, Laurie Holden
80
2006 in The Devil and Daniel Johnston (2006)
The Devil and Daniel Johnston
2006

This 2005 documentary film chronicles the life of Daniel Johnston, a manic-depressive genius singer/songwriter/artist, from childhood up to the present, with an emphasis on his mental illness and how it manifested itself in demonic self-obsession.

Documentary
Music
1h 50m
Jeff Feuerzeig
Daniel Johnston, Bill Johnston, Margie Johnston, Mabel Johnston
79
2006 in The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006)
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift
2006

In order to avoid a jail sentence, Sean Boswell heads to Tokyo to live with his military father. In a low-rent section of the city, Sean gets caught up in the underground world of drift racing

Action
Crime
1h 44m
Justin Lin
Lucas Black, Nathalie Kelley, Sung Kang, Shad Moss
78
2006 in Click (2006)
Click
2006

A married workaholic, Michael Newman doesn't have time for his wife and children, not if he's to impress his ungrateful boss and earn a well-deserved promotion. So when he meets Morty, a loopy sales clerk, he gets the answer to his prayers: a magical remote that allows him to bypass life's little distractions with increasingly hysterical results.

Comedy
Drama
1h 47m
Frank Coraci
77
2006 in Curse of the Golden Flower (2006)
Curse of the Golden Flower
2006

During China's Tang dynasty the emperor has taken the princess of a neighboring province as his wife. She has borne him two sons and raised his eldest. Now his control over his dominion is complete, including the royal family itself.

Action
Drama
1h 54m
Zhang Yimou
Chow Yun-Fat, Gong Li, Jay Chou, Liu Ye
76
2006 in The Grudge 2 (2006)
The Grudge 2
2006

A young woman encounters a malevolent supernatural force while searching for her missing sister in Tokyo, a mean high school prank goes horribly wrong, and strange things begin happening in a Chicago apartment building.

Horror
Thriller
1h 42m
Takashi Shimizu
Amber Tamblyn, Edison Chen, Takako Fuji, Ohga Tanaka
75
2006 in Charlotte's Web (2006)
Charlotte's Web
2006

Wilbur the pig is scared of the end of the season, because he knows that come that time, he will end up on the dinner table. He hatches a plan with Charlotte, a spider that lives in his pen, to ensure that this will never happen.

Comedy
Family
1h 37m
Gary Winick
74
2006 in Déjà Vu (2006)
Déjà Vu
2006

Called in to recover evidence in the aftermath of a horrific explosion on a New Orleans ferry, Federal agent Doug Carlin gets pulled away from the scene and taken to a top-secret government lab that uses a time-shifting surveillance device to help prevent crime.

Action
Thriller
Denzel Washington, Paula Patton, Val Kilmer, Jim Caviezel
73
2006 in Nacho Libre (2006)
Nacho Libre
2006

Ignacio, a disrespected cook at a Mexican monastery, can barely afford to feed the orphans who live there. Inspired by a local wrestling hero, he decides to moonlight as the not-so-famous Luchador "Nacho Libre" to earn money for the monastery -- not to mention the admiration of beautiful nun Sister Encarnación.

Comedy
1h 32m
Jared Hess
Jack Black, Ana de la Reguera, Héctor Jiménez, Darius Rose
72
2006 in Step Up (2006)
Step Up
2006

Delinquent Tyler Gage receives the opportunity of a lifetime after vandalizing a performing arts school, gaining him the chance to earn a scholarship and dance with up-and-coming dancer Nora.

Music
Drama
1h 44m
Anne Fletcher
Channing Tatum, Jenna Dewan, Damaine Radcliff, Rachel Griffiths
71
2006 in The Lake House (2006)
The Lake House
2006

When architect Alex Wyler moves into an unusual glass house on stilts over a lake, he discovers a note from the previous tenant in the mailbox--but no one's lived in the house for years. He replies and soon discovers that he's corresponding with a doctor named Kate Forster. Their correspondence, only through the 'magical' mailbox, turns romantic and their paths cross in unexpected ways, but when they try to truly connect, danger looms. They must try to unravel the mystery behind their extraordinary romance before it's too late.

Romance
Drama
1h 39m
Alejandro Agresti
70
2006 in The Ant Bully (2006)
The Ant Bully
2006

Fed up with being targeted by the neighborhood bully, 10-year-old Lucas Nickle vents his frustrations on the anthill in his front yard ... until the insects shrink him to the size of a bug with a magic elixir. Convicted of "crimes against the colony," Lucas can only regain his freedom by living with the ants and learning their ways.

Fantasy
Adventure
1h 29m
John A. Davis
69
2006 in Another Gay Movie (2006)
Another Gay Movie
2006

In the dirtiest, funniest, most scandalous gay-teen-sex-comedy-parody ever, four young gay friends make a pact to lose their virginity by the end of the summer. The boys soon face giant sex toys, naked celebrities, masochistic teachers and an uncontrollable romance with a quiche.

Comedy
Romance
1h 34m
Todd Stephens
Michael Carbonaro, Jonah Blechman, Jonathan Chase, Mitch Morris
68
2006 in American Dreamz (2006)
American Dreamz
2006

The new season of "American Dreamz," the wildly popular television singing contest, has captured the country's attention, as the competition looks to be between a young Midwestern gal and a showtunes-loving young man from Orange County. Recently awakened President Staton even wants in on the craze, as he signs up for the potential explosive season finale.

Comedy
Drama
1h 47m
Paul Weitz
67
2006 in Night at the Museum (2006)
Night at the Museum
2006

Chaos reigns at the natural history museum when night watchman Larry Daley accidentally stirs up an ancient curse, awakening Attila the Hun, an army of gladiators, a Tyrannosaurus rex and other exhibits.

Fantasy
Family
1h 48m
Shawn Levy
Ben Stiller, Carla Gugino, Dick Van Dyke, Mickey Rooney
66
2006 in Kenny (2006)
Kenny
2006

From the biggest festival to the smallest church social, Kenny Smyth delivers porta-loos to them all. Kenny tackles every septic challenge that comes his way, culminating in a visit to the International Pumper and Cleaner Expo in Nashville Tennessee - or as Kenny affectionately calls it, "Poo HQ".

Comedy
1h 39m
Clayton Jacobson
Shane Jacobson, Eve von Bibra, Ronald Jacobson, Ian Dryden
65
2006 in Crank (2006)
Crank
2006

Chev Chelios, a hit man wanting to go straight, lets his latest target slip away. Then he awakes the next morning to a phone call that informs him he has been poisoned and has only an hour to live unless he keeps adrenaline coursing through his body while he searches for an antidote.

Action
Thriller
1h 28m
Brian Taylor
Jason Statham, Amy Smart, Jose Pablo Cantillo, Efren Ramirez
64
2006 in Slither (2006)
Slither
2006

A small town is taken over by an alien plague, turning residents into zombies and all forms of mutant monsters.

Horror
Science Fiction
1h 36m
James Gunn
Nathan Fillion, Michael Rooker, Elizabeth Banks, Gregg Henry
63
2006 in Fearless (2006)
Fearless
2006

After going through a series of tragic events in his life, martial arts master Huo Yuanjia returns to Tianjin and must fight four international soldiers, in order to safeguard his nation's pride.

Drama
Action
1h 43m
Ronny Yu
Jet Li, Sun Li, Dong Yong, Shido Nakamura
62
2006 in Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny (2006)
Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny
2006

In Venice Beach, naive Midwesterner JB bonds with local slacker KG and they form the rock band Tenacious D. Setting out to become the world's greatest band is no easy feat, so they set out to steal what could be the answer to their prayers... a magical guitar pick housed in a rock-and-roll museum some 300 miles away.

Comedy
Music
1h 33m
Liam Lynch
Jack Black, Kyle Gass, JR Reed, Ronnie James Dio
61
2006 in She's the Man (2006)
She's the Man
2006

Viola Hastings is in a real jam. Complications threaten her scheme to pose as her twin brother, Sebastian, and take his place at a new boarding school. She falls in love with her handsome roommate, Duke, who loves beautiful Olivia, who has fallen for Sebastian! As if that were not enough, Viola's twin returns from London ahead of schedule but has no idea that his sister has already replaced him on campus.

Comedy
Romance
1h 45m
Andy Fickman
Amanda Bynes, Channing Tatum, Laura Ramsey, Vinnie Jones
60
2006 in Miami Vice (2006)
Miami Vice
2006

A case involving drug lords and murder in South Florida takes a personal turn for undercover detectives Sonny Crockett and Ricardo Tubbs. Unorthodox Crockett gets involved romantically with the Chinese-Cuban wife of a trafficker of arms and drugs, while Tubbs deals with an assault on those he loves.

Action
Crime
Colin Farrell, Jamie Foxx, Naomie Harris, Gong Li
59
2006 in A Prairie Home Companion (2006)
A Prairie Home Companion
2006

A look at what goes on backstage during the last broadcast of America's most celebrated radio show, where singing cowboys Dusty and Lefty, a country music siren, and a host of others hold court.

Drama
Comedy
58
2006 in Bobby (2006)
Bobby
2006

In 1968 the lives of a retired doorman, hotel manager, lounge singer, busboy, beautician and others intersect in the wake of Robert F. Kennedy's assassination at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles.

Drama
Anthony Hopkins, William H. Macy, Harry Belafonte, Freddy Rodríguez
57
2006 in Little Children (2006)
Little Children
2006

The lives of two lovelorn spouses from separate marriages, a registered sex offender, and a disgraced ex-police officer intersect as they struggle to resist their vulnerabilities and temptations.

Drama
Romance
2h 17m
Todd Field
56
2006 in The Good German (2006)
The Good German
2006

An American journalist arrives in Berlin just after the end of World War Two. He becomes involved in a murder mystery surrounding a dead GI who washes up at a lakeside mansion during the Potsdam negotiations between the Allied powers. Soon his investigation connects with his search for his married pre-war German lover.

55
2006 in The Illusionist (2006)
The Illusionist
2006

With his eye on a lovely aristocrat, a gifted illusionist named Eisenheim uses his powers to win her away from her betrothed, a crown prince. But Eisenheim's scheme creates tumult within the monarchy and ignites the suspicion of a dogged inspector.

Fantasy
Drama
1h 50m
Neil Burger
Edward Norton, Paul Giamatti, Jessica Biel, Rufus Sewell
54
2006 in Eragon (2006)
Eragon
2006

In his homeland of Alagaesia, a farm boy happens upon a dragon's egg -- a discovery that leads him on a predestined journey where he realized he's the one person who can defend his home against an evil king.

Fantasy
Action
1h 44m
Stefen Fangmeier
Ed Speleers, Jeremy Irons, Sienna Guillory, Robert Carlyle
53
2006 in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006)
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
2006

Jack's got a blood debt to pay: he owes his soul to the legendary Davy Jones, ghastly Ruler of the Ocean Depths. But ever-crafty Jack isn't about to go down without a fight.

Adventure
Fantasy
52
2006 in The Break-Up (2006)
The Break-Up
2006

Pushed to the breaking-up point after their latest 'why can't you do this one little thing for me?' argument, Brooke calls it quits with her boyfriend Gary. What follows is a hilarious series of remedies, war tactics, overtures and undermining tricks – all encouraged by the former couple's friends and confidantes …and the occasional total stranger! When neither ex is willing to move out of their shared apartment, the only solution is to continue living as hostile roommates until one of them reaches breaking point.

51
2006 in World Trade Center (2006)
World Trade Center
2006

Two police officers struggle to survive when they become trapped beneath the rubble of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.

Drama
History
Nicolas Cage, Maria Bello, Connor Paolo, Anthony Piccininni
50
2006 in Lady in the Water (2006)
Lady in the Water
2006

Apartment building superintendent Cleveland Heep rescues what he thinks is a young woman from the pool he maintains. When he discovers that she is actually a character from a bedtime story who is trying to make the journey back to her home, he works with his tenants to protect his new friend from the creatures that are determined to keep her in our world.

Drama
Fantasy
Paul Giamatti, Bryce Dallas Howard, Jeffrey Wright, Bob Balaban
49
2006 in The Holiday (2006)
The Holiday
2006

Two women, one American and one British, swap homes at Christmastime following bad breakups. Each woman finds romance with a local man but realizes that the imminent return home may end the relationship.

Comedy
Romance
2h 16m
Nancy Meyers
48
2006 in Hollywoodland (2006)
Hollywoodland
2006

When Hollywood superstar George Reeves dies in his home, private detective Louis Simo is hired to investigate his death and gets caught in a web of lies involving a big studio executive's wife. Based on a true story.

Crime
Drama
2h 6m
Allen Coulter
47
2006 in Stranger Than Fiction (2006)
Stranger Than Fiction
2006

Harold Crick is a lonely IRS agent whose mundane existence is transformed when he hears a mysterious voice narrating his life.

46
2006 in Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006)
Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby
2006

The fastest man on four wheels, Ricky Bobby, is one of the greatest drivers in NASCAR history. A big, hairy American winning machine, Ricky has everything a dimwitted daredevil could want, a luxurious mansion, a smokin' hot wife, and all the fast food he can eat. But Ricky's turbo-charged lifestyle hits an unexpected speed bump when he's bested by flamboyant Euro-idiot Jean Girard and reduced to a fear-ridden wreck.

45
2006 in The Da Vinci Code (2006)
The Da Vinci Code
2006

A murder in Paris’ Louvre Museum and cryptic clues in some of Leonardo da Vinci’s most famous paintings lead to the discovery of a religious mystery. For 2,000 years a secret society closely guards information that — should it come to light — could rock the very foundations of Christianity.

Thriller
Mystery
Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou, Ian McKellen, Jean Reno
44
2006 in The Good Shepherd (2006)
The Good Shepherd
2006

Edward Wilson, the only witness to his father's suicide and member of the Skull and Bones Society while a student at Yale, is a morally upright young man who values honor and discretion, qualities that help him to be recruited for a career in the newly founded OSS. His dedication to his work does not come without a price though, leading him to sacrifice his ideals and eventually his family.

43
2006 in Friends with Money (2006)
Friends with Money
2006

As she reaches her mid-thirties and quits her lucrative job, singleton Olivia finds herself unsure about her future and her relationships with her successful and wealthy friends. She begins to envy the security of her richer friends and, although their lives may seem easier, Olivia's friends have their problems too: screenwriters Christine and Patrick are unable to collaborate on their latest project, Jane and Aaron have lost the romance in their relationship, and Franny and Matt have difficulties handling the demands of parenthood.

Comedy
Drama
1h 28m
Nicole Holofcener
42
2006 in Half Nelson (2006)
Half Nelson
2006

Despite his dedication to the junior-high students who fill his classroom, idealistic teacher Dan Dunne leads a secret life of addiction that the majority of his students will never know. But things change when a troubled student Drey makes a startling discovery of his secret life, causing a tenuous bond between the two that could either end disastrously or provide a catalyst of hope.

Drama
1h 47m
Ryan Fleck
Ryan Gosling, Shareeka Epps, Anthony Mackie, Jeff Lima
41
2006 in The Host (2006)
The Host
2006

A teenage girl is captured by a giant mutated squid-like creature that appears from Seoul's Han River after toxic waste was dumped in it, prompting her family into a frantic search for her.

Horror
Drama
2h 0m
Bong Joon Ho
Song Kang-ho, Byun Hee-bong, Park Hae-il, Bae Doona
40
2006 in Flags of Our Fathers (2006)
Flags of Our Fathers
2006

There were five Marines and one Navy Corpsman photographed raising the U.S. flag on Mt. Suribachi by Joe Rosenthal on February 23, 1945. This is the story of three of the six surviving servicemen - John 'Doc' Bradley, Pvt. Rene Gagnon and Pvt. Ira Hayes - who fought in the battle to take Iwo Jima from the Japanese.

War
Drama
Ryan Phillippe, Jesse Bradford, Adam Beach, John Benjamin Hickey
39

Retired from active duty, and training recruits for the Impossible Mission Force, agent Ethan Hunt faces the toughest foe of his career: Owen Davian, an international broker of arms and information, who's as cunning as he is ruthless. Davian emerges to threaten Hunt and all that he holds dear – including the woman Hunt loves.

Adventure
Action
2h 6m
J.J. Abrams
38

When a cure is found to treat mutations, lines are drawn amongst the X-Men—led by Professor Charles Xavier—and the Brotherhood, a band of powerful mutants organised under Xavier's former ally, Magneto.

Adventure
Action
1h 44m
Brett Ratner
37
2006 in Over the Hedge (2006)
Over the Hedge
2006

A scheming raccoon fools a mismatched family of forest creatures into helping him repay a debt of food, by invading the new suburban sprawl that popped up while they were hibernating – and learns a lesson about family himself.

Family
Comedy
1h 23m
Karey Kirkpatrick
Bruce Willis, Garry Shandling, Steve Carell, Wanda Sykes
36
2006 in Monster House (2006)
Monster House
2006

Monsters under the bed are scary enough, but what happens when an entire house is out to get you? Three teens aim to find out when they go up against a decrepit neighboring home and unlock its frightening secrets.

Animation
Comedy
1h 31m
Gil Kenan
Mitchel Musso, Sam Lerner, Spencer Locke, Steve Buscemi
35
2006 in An Inconvenient Truth (2006)
An Inconvenient Truth
2006

A documentary on Al Gore's campaign to make the issue of global warming a recognized problem worldwide.

Documentary
1h 40m
Davis Guggenheim
Al Gore, Billy West, Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush
34
2006 in V for Vendetta (2006)
V for Vendetta
2006

In a world in which Great Britain has become a fascist state, a masked vigilante known only as “V” conducts guerrilla warfare against the oppressive British government. When V rescues a young woman from the secret police, he finds in her an ally with whom he can continue his fight to free the people of Britain.

Action
Thriller
2h 12m
James McTeigue
Natalie Portman, Hugo Weaving, Stephen Rea, Stephen Fry
33
2006 in Superman Returns (2006)
Superman Returns
2006

Superman returns to discover his 5-year absence has allowed Lex Luthor to walk free, and that those he was closest to felt abandoned and have moved on. Luthor plots his ultimate revenge that could see millions killed and change the face of the planet forever, as well as ridding himself of the Man of Steel.

Science Fiction
Action
Brandon Routh, Kate Bosworth, Kevin Spacey, James Marsden
32
2006 in Marie Antoinette (2006)
Marie Antoinette
2006

A retelling of the story of France’s iconic but ill-fated queen, Marie Antoinette - from her betrothal and marriage to Louis XVI at fifteen to her reign as queen at nineteen and ultimately the fall of Versailles.

Drama
History
2h 3m
Sofia Coppola
31
2006 in A Scanner Darkly (2006)
A Scanner Darkly
2006

An undercover cop in a not-too-distant future becomes involved with a dangerous new drug and begins to lose his own identity as a result.

30
2006 in Dreamgirls (2006)
Dreamgirls
2006

A trio of female soul singers cross over to the pop charts in the early 1960s, facing their own personal struggles along the way.

Drama
Music
2h 10m
Bill Condon
29
2006 in The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
The Devil Wears Prada
2006

A young woman from the Midwest gets more than she bargained for when she moves to New York to become a writer and ends up as the assistant to the tyrannical, larger-than-life editor-in-chief of a major fashion magazine.

Drama
Comedy
1h 49m
David Frankel
28
2006 in Clerks II (2006)
Clerks II
2006

A calamity at Dante and Randall's shops sends them looking for new horizons - but they ultimately settle at Mooby's, a fictional Disney-McDonald's-style fast-food empire.

Comedy
Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Rosario Dawson, Jason Mewes
27
2006 in Rocky Balboa (2006)
Rocky Balboa
2006

When he loses a highly publicized virtual boxing match to ex-champ Rocky Balboa, reigning heavyweight titleholder Mason Dixon retaliates by challenging the Italian Stallion to a 10-round exhibition bout. To the surprise of his son and friends, Rocky agrees to come out of retirement and face an opponent who's faster, stronger and thirty years his junior. Rocky takes on Dixon in what will become the greatest fight in boxing history!

Drama
Sylvester Stallone, Burt Young, Antonio Tarver, Geraldine Hughes
26
2006 in Happy Feet (2006)
Happy Feet
2006

Into the world of the Emperor Penguins, who find their soul mates through song, a penguin is born who cannot sing. But he can tap dance something fierce!

Animation
Comedy
25
2006 in Flushed Away (2006)
Flushed Away
2006

London high-society mouse, Roddy is flushed down the toilet by Sid, a common sewer rat. Hang on for a madcap adventure deep in the sewer bowels of Ratropolis, where Roddy meets the resourceful Rita, the rodent-hating Toad and his faithful thugs, Spike and Whitey.

Adventure
Animation
1h 25m
David Bowers
24
2006 in The Painted Veil (2006)
The Painted Veil
2006

A British medical doctor fights a cholera outbreak in a small Chinese village, while also being trapped at home in a loveless marriage to an unfaithful wife.

Romance
Drama
2h 5m
John Curran
Edward Norton, Naomi Watts, Liev Schreiber, Toby Jones
23

When an armed, masked gang enter a Manhattan bank, lock the doors and take hostages, the detective assigned to effect their release enters negotiations preoccupied with corruption charges he is facing.

22
2006 in Cars (2006)
Cars
2006

Lightning McQueen, a hotshot rookie race car driven to succeed, discovers that life is about the journey, not the finish line, when he finds himself unexpectedly detoured in the sleepy Route 66 town of Radiator Springs. On route across the country to the big Piston Cup Championship in California to compete against two seasoned pros, McQueen gets to know the town's offbeat characters.

Animation
Adventure
1h 57m
John Lasseter
Owen Wilson, Paul Newman, Bonnie Hunt, Larry the Cable Guy
21
2006 in Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006)
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer
2006

Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, born in the stench of 18th century Paris, develops a superior olfactory sense, which he uses to create the world's finest perfumes. However, his work takes a dark turn as he tries to preserve scents in the search for the ultimate perfume.

Crime
Fantasy
2h 27m
Tom Tykwer
Ben Whishaw, Alan Rickman, Rachel Hurd-Wood, Dustin Hoffman
20
2006 in Notes on a Scandal (2006)
Notes on a Scandal
2006

A veteran high school teacher befriends a younger art teacher, who is having an affair with one of her 15-year-old students. However, her intentions with this new "friend" also go well beyond platonic friendship.

Drama
Romance
1h 32m
Richard Eyre
Judi Dench, Cate Blanchett, Bill Nighy, Andrew Simpson
19
2006 in The Fountain (2006)
The Fountain
2006

Spanning over one thousand years, and three parallel stories, The Fountain is a story of love, death, spirituality, and the fragility of our existence in this world.

Drama
Adventure
1h 36m
Darren Aronofsky
18
2006 in Idiocracy (2006)
Idiocracy
2006

To test its top-secret Human Hibernation Project, the Pentagon picks the most average Americans it can find - an Army private and a prostitute - and sends them to the year 2505 after a series of freak events. But when they arrive, they find a civilization so dumbed-down that they're the smartest people around.

Comedy
Science Fiction
1h 24m
Mike Judge
Luke Wilson, Maya Rudolph, Dax Shepard, Terry Crews
17
2006 in The Last King of Scotland (2006)
The Last King of Scotland
2006

Young Scottish doctor, Nicholas Garrigan decides it's time for an adventure after he finishes his formal education, so he decides to try his luck in Uganda, and arrives during the downfall of President Obote. General Idi Amin comes to power and asks Garrigan to become his personal doctor.

Drama
2h 3m
Kevin Macdonald
Forest Whitaker, James McAvoy, Simon McBurney, Gillian Anderson
16
2006 in The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)
The Pursuit of Happyness
2006

A struggling salesman takes custody of his son as he's poised to begin a life-changing professional career.

Drama
1h 57m
Gabriele Muccino
Will Smith, Jaden Smith, Thandiwe Newton, Brian Howe
15
2006 in Volver (2006)
Volver
2006

Three generations of women survive the east wind, fire, insanity, superstition and even death by means of goodness, lies and boundless vitality.

Comedy
Drama
Penélope Cruz, Carmen Maura, Lola Dueñas, Blanca Portillo
14
2006 in The Queen (2006)
The Queen
2006

The Queen is an intimate behind the scenes glimpse at the interaction between HM Elizabeth II and Prime Minister Tony Blair during their struggle, following the death of Diana, to reach a compromise between what was a private tragedy for the Royal family and the public's demand for an overt display of mourning.

Drama
History
1h 43m
Stephen Frears
Helen Mirren, Michael Sheen, James Cromwell, Helen McCrory
13
2006 in United 93 (2006)
United 93
2006

A real-time account of the events on United Flight 93, one of the planes hijacked on 9/11 that crashed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania when passengers foiled the terrorist plot.

Drama
History
J.J. Johnson, Gary Commock, Polly Adams, Opal Alladin
Why it ranks

Paul Greengrass approaches an American trauma with a documentarian’s eye and a refusal to sensationalize. By focusing on the frantic, real-time chaos of the air traffic controllers and the passengers, he creates a harrowing experience that honors the gravity of the event without resorting to hollow sentimentality.

12
2006 in The Lives of Others (2006)
The Lives of Others
2006

In 1984 East Berlin, dedicated Stasi officer Gerd Wiesler begins spying on a famous playwright and his actress-lover Christa-Maria. Wiesler becomes unexpectedly sympathetic to the couple, and faces conflicting loyalties when his superior takes a liking to Christa-Maria.

Drama
Thriller
2h 17m
Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
Martina Gedeck, Ulrich Mühe, Sebastian Koch, Ulrich Tukur
Why it ranks

Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck delivers a quiet, devastatingly precise anatomy of surveillance and the human conscience in East Berlin. The film’s power lies in its restraint, showing how a single spark of empathy can dismantle the machinery of an oppressive state.

11
2006 in Blood Diamond (2006)
Blood Diamond
2006

An ex-mercenary turned smuggler. A Mende fisherman. Amid the explosive civil war overtaking 1999 Sierra Leone, these men join for two desperate missions: recovering a rare pink diamond of immense value and rescuing the fisherman's son, conscripted as a child soldier into the brutal rebel forces ripping a swath of torture and bloodshed countrywide.

10
2006 in Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006)
Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
2006

Kazakh journalist Borat Sagdiyev travels to America to make a documentary. As he zigzags across the nation, Borat meets real people in real situations with hysterical consequences. His backwards behavior generates strong reactions around him exposing prejudices and hypocrisies in American culture.

Comedy
1h 24m
Larry Charles
Sacha Baron Cohen, Ken Davitian, Luenell, Pamela Anderson
Why it ranks

Sacha Baron Cohen delivers a masterclass in high-stakes commitment, blurring the lines between scripted satire and dangerous guerrilla theater. By weaponizing a persona of wide-eyed ignorance, he transformed improvised provocation into a cultural phenomenon that redefined the limits of meta-comedy. This role remains his definitive achievement, proving that a character can be both a comic wrecking ball and a surgical instrument for exposing societal prejudice.

9
2006 in Letters from Iwo Jima (2006)
Letters from Iwo Jima
2006

The story of the battle of Iwo Jima between the United States and Imperial Japan during World War II, as told from the perspective of the Japanese who fought it.

Action
Drama
Ken Watanabe, Kazunari Ninomiya, Tsuyoshi Ihara, Ryo Kase
Why it ranks

Clint Eastwood offers a somber and deeply empathetic counter-perspective to the Pacific War, proving that the most effective combat films are those that humanize the enemy. It is a mournful, elegantly shot meditation on duty and the shared despair of men caught in an impossible meat grinder.

8
2006 in Pan's Labyrinth (2006)
Pan's Labyrinth
2006

In post–civil war Spain, 10-year-old Ofelia moves with her pregnant mother to live under the control of her cruel stepfather. Drawn into a mysterious labyrinth, she meets a faun who reveals that she may be a lost princess from an underground kingdom. To return to her true father, she must complete a series of surreal and perilous tasks that blur the line between reality and fantasy.

Fantasy
Drama
Ivana Baquero, Sergi López, Maribel Verdú, Ariadna Gil
Why it ranks

Guillermo del Toro fuses the gruesome reality of post-Civil War Spain with a dark, tactile folklore to create a visual lexicon unlike anything else in modern cinema. This is a haunting, uncompromising look at how the imagination serves as both a sanctuary and a mirror for political horror.

7

A family loaded with quirky, colorful characters piles into an old van and road trips to California for little Olive to compete in a beauty pageant.

Comedy
Drama
1h 42m
Jonathan Dayton
Why it ranks

This subversion of the road trip comedy finds its soul in a dysfunctional family dynamic that avoids the saccharine traps of its genre. It managed to capture the year's zeitgeist by finding profound, messy beauty in the concept of total failure.

6

A mysterious story of two magicians whose intense rivalry leads them on a life-long battle for supremacy -- full of obsession, deceit and jealousy with dangerous and deadly consequences.

Why it ranks

Christopher Nolan delivers a twisty, obsessively constructed puzzle box that mirrors the very stage magic it depicts. It is a cold and calculating exploration of professional rivalry where the meticulous editing serves as the ultimate cinematic sleight of hand.

5
2006 in Children of Men (2006)
Children of Men
2006

In 2027, in a chaotic world in which humans can no longer procreate, a former activist agrees to help transport a miraculously pregnant woman to a sanctuary at sea, where her child's birth may help scientists save the future of humankind.

Science Fiction
Thriller
1h 49m
Alfonso Cuarón
Clive Owen, Clare-Hope Ashitey, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Julianne Moore
Why it ranks

Alfonso Cuarón’s dystopian vision is a technical marvel of immersive long takes and breathless choreography. It bypasses science fiction clichés to deliver a terrifyingly plausible portrait of a world on the brink of extinction, demanding the viewer's attention through sheer sensory overload.

4
2006 in Babel (2006)
Babel
2006

Tragedy strikes a married couple vacationing in the Moroccan desert, which jumpstarts an interlocking story involving four different families.

Drama
Brad Pitt, Rinko Kikuchi, Adriana Barraza, Cate Blanchett
Why it ranks

Alejandro González Iñárritu crafts a sprawling, polyphonic interrogation of human disconnect that feels urgently global. The film foregoes traditional narrative cohesion for a raw, emotional resonance that illustrates how small tragedies ripple across a fractured world.

3

Le Chiffre, a banker to the world's terrorists, is scheduled to participate in a high-stakes poker game in Montenegro, where he intends to use his winnings to establish his financial grip on the terrorist market. M sends Bond—on his maiden mission as a 00 Agent—to attend this game and prevent Le Chiffre from winning. With the help of Vesper Lynd and Felix Leiter, Bond enters the most important poker game in his already dangerous career.

Adventure
Action
2h 24m
Martin Campbell
Why it ranks

By stripping away the invisible cars and gadgetry, Daniel Craig reinvents a tired icon through a lens of brutal, sweating realism. This visceral reboot prioritizes psychological stakes and high-octane physicality, effectively dragging James Bond into a gritty new century.

2
2006 in Apocalypto (2006)
Apocalypto
2006

Set in the Mayan civilization, when a man's idyllic presence is brutally disrupted by a violent invading force, he is taken on a perilous journey to a world ruled by fear and oppression where a harrowing end awaits him. Through a twist of fate and spurred by the power of his love for his woman and his family he will make a desperate break to return home and to ultimately save his way of life.

Action
Drama
Rudy Youngblood, Raoul Max Trujillo, Gerardo Taracena, Iazua Larios
Why it ranks

Rudy Youngblood delivers a physically staggering debut, anchoring the film with a raw, kinetic energy that relies almost entirely on expressive eyes and breath rather than dialogue. His portrayal of Jaguar Paw transformed him from an unknown into a primal cinematic icon, proving he could carry a massive historical epic through pure endurance and silent charisma. It remains a singular, high-intensity turn that defines his career through its sheer, unadorned athletic vulnerability.

1

To take down South Boston's Irish Mafia, the police send in one of their own to infiltrate the underworld, not realizing the syndicate has done likewise. While an undercover cop curries favor with the mob kingpin, a career criminal rises through the police ranks. But both sides soon discover there's a mole among them.

Why it ranks

Martin Scorsese finally captures his elusive white whale by translating a kinetic Hong Kong thriller into a profane, Shakespearean opera of South Boston betrayal. It is a masterclass in tension, fueled by a cast operating at the peak of their cynical powers.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you need to know about this list and SnakeDrafts

The best movies of 2006 prominently featured genres like drama, thriller, and crime, with notable films like 'The Departed' and 'Babel.' Additionally, there was a strong presence of fantasy and war dramas such as 'Pan's Labyrinth' and 'Letters from Iwo Jima.' This mix reflects the transitional nature of cinema during that year, balancing gritty realism with imaginative storytelling.

2006 was a pivotal year that marked the rise of innovative storytelling and the blending of genres, seen in films like 'Children of Men' and 'The Prestige.' It also showcased the emergence of franchises establishing new directions, exemplified by 'Casino Royale,' while mid-budget adult dramas still thrived, maintaining a rich variety on screen.

'Letters from Iwo Jima,' directed by Clint Eastwood, is widely recognized for its unique perspective on historical events, focusing on World War II from the Japanese viewpoint. This film stands out for its profound emotional depth and realistic portrayal, differentiating it from typical war epics of its time.

2006 featured remarkable directorial work from auteurs like Martin Scorsese with 'The Departed,' Guillermo del Toro with 'Pan's Labyrinth,' and Alfonso Cuarón with 'Children of Men.' These directors brought distinctive styles and powerful narratives that elevated the year's cinematic output and influenced filmmakers going forward.

Yes, comedy was an important element in 2006's best films, blending humor with deeper themes. Films like 'Little Miss Sunshine' and 'Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan' expertly combined comedy with social commentary and drama, enriching the diversity of that year's film landscape.

International cinema played a key role in 2006 with critically acclaimed films like 'Volver' by Pedro Almodóvar from Spain and 'The Lives of Others' from Germany. These films brought unique cultural insights and storytelling styles, highlighting the global nature of impactful cinema during that year.

The top movies of 2006 often explore themes of identity, power struggles, and societal challenges, as seen in 'The Departed' and 'Babel.' Many films also delve into human resilience amidst conflict or dystopian futures, exemplified by 'Children of Men' and 'Apocalypto,' reflecting complex narratives that resonate deeply with audiences.
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